


Teach Me, Love Me

by kingsofleon2112



Series: Teach Me, Love Me [1]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Brainwashed, Eventual relationship, F/M, Fallout 4 - Freeform, Female Sole Survivor - Freeform, Non-Canon Story, Severe Abuse, an angsty story, main character has been abused for 9 years, non-canon sole survivor, very slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-05-29 14:27:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6379846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingsofleon2112/pseuds/kingsofleon2112
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jamie Milner has been abused by her husband for 9 years and can't stand it anymore. After seeing the bombs drop and waking up in the vault, she sets out with one purpose. To find the son of a bitch who took the one thing she felt was worth living for. After stopping at Diamond City for more info, Piper suggests hiring the merc in Goodneighbor if she needs someone to watch her back. Stepping into Goodneighbor, Hancock directs her to The Third Rail where this mysterious merc is waiting for hire. MacCready was nothing what she expected and gives him the full 250 caps. Her past haunts her as she's scared to death of him. Of everyone. Of everything. She can't even shoot a gun. A business transaction soon turns into something she never expected. A friendship ... then a good friendship ... then more. Will she be able to cope with her past though, convinced that she doesn't deserve his help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Drop the Bomb

She stands at the sink trying to rush and wash these plates before he comes out of the bathroom. His food is already placed on the table for him, hot and ready, just the way he liked it. She rinses the last plate off and places it in the dish rack to dry. She hears the bathroom door unlock and open and she's turned around in an instant to face him. He doesn't like it when her back is turned to him. Andrew comes staggering into the living room and meets her gaze.

 

“My breakfast ready?” he asks in a demanding tone. He's already been drinking.

 

“It's ready for you on the table” she answers in a flat voice.

 

“It fucking better be, you don't want a repeat of last week do you?”

 

She pushes her eyes to the floor knowing damn well what he's talking about. Last week she didn't have his breakfast ready before he had finished his shower and had thrown her against the wall so hard, spraining her wrist and bruising the back of her left shoulder. The bruise was already turning from black and blue to green and yellow.

 

“No, I don't” she answers in a small voice.

 

She stands in silence watching him eat. Her mouth waters at the eggs and toast he's shoving into his mouth. She's so hungry, she can feel her stomach growling into her bones. Jamie was so skinny, even after having the baby. Andrew only allowed her the scraps he left of his plate after he had his fill. Most of the time, it wasn't much. She's so focused on staring at the food she doesn't even hear the door bell ring.

 

“You dumb bitch, are you gonna get that or what?” he stares at her in disgust.

 

“ _Fuck_ ” she thinks to herself. “ _I'm gunna get it later for that_.”

 

Jamie makes her way over to the front door and opens it.

 

“Good morning! Vault-Tec calling!” a young man in a tan trench coat and a fedora to match bellows in a happy voice.

 

“Vault-Tec? Who's Vault-Tec?” Jamie asks him. She's confused, who the hell was Vault-Tec?

 

“Why, we're about you ma'am and helping secure your future. You see, Vault-Tec is the foremost builder of state of the art fallout shelters. Vaults, if you will. Luxury accommodations where you can wait out the horrors of nuclear devastation. You can't begin to know how happy I am to finally speak with you, I've been trying for days. It's a matter of utmost urgency, I assure you.” he explains, a hint of concern in his voice.

 

“What's this about? What's so important?” she asks, still confused.

 

“Why nothing less than your entire future. If you haven't noticed ma'am, this country has gone to heck in a hand basket. If you'll excuse my language. The big ka-boom is .. it's inevitable, I'm afraid and coming sooner than you may think if you'll catch my meaning. Now I know you're a busy woman so I won't take up much of your time. Time being um .. heh .. a precious commodity. I'm here today to tell you that because of your family service to our country, you have been pre selected for entrance into the local vault! Vault 111.”

 

She lowers her voice “But I have a ... _family_ … you can fit … _us_ all right?” she asks in a pained tone. _Family_ she thinks. Her and Shaun sure but Andrew? No. He could rot in this house for all she cared.

 

“Of course, of course!” the Vault-Tec rep exclaims. “Minus your robot naturally. In fact you're already cleared for entrance. It's just a matter of verifying some information. Don't want there to be any hold ups in the unforeseen event of … hehehe-ah total atomic annihilation. Won't take but a moment.” he tells her, waiting for her answer.

 

She's hesitant as she looks over her shoulder at Andrew. He's still engrossed in his breakfast.

 

“Ok, I'm in” she whispers to him.

 

“Alright, now let's see here ...” he hands her a stack of papers to sign and she doesn't need to be told twice. If this was what she thought it was going to be this meant a new life for her. There would be other people there so it would be harder for Andrew to keep abusing her. She hoped. This was her chance she thought, a new beginning. She frantically signs her name on all of the papers trying to hurry so Andrew doesn't get suspicious.

 

“Wonderful! That's everything … ah just gunna walk this over to the vault. Congratulations on being prepared for the future!”

 

She closes the door before he can finish. She turns around to pick up Andrew's plate so she could get to washing it. He was glaring at her.

 

“Who the ffff-fuck was that?” There's ketchup all over his face from the eggs and his words are slurred from drinking. He was drunk and Jesus it was only 10am.

 

“A Vault Tec Rep, we have a spot in the local vault due to your … _civic duties you performed_.

 

“Ugh. It should really only be me going. I'm the one that had to go to fucking war while your ungrateful ass sat at home doing nothing.” He gets up clearly done with his plate, placing himself in front of her and he grips her wrist hard in his hand. “You can eat now” he glares into her eyes, drunk, slamming his shoulder into her's hard making her wince in pain before sitting on the couch to watch tv. She moves over to the table fast picking up what was left on his plate to eat for herself. The eggs were gone, a smear of ketchup she looped up with her finger sticking it into her mouth. A small corner of toast was all that was left but she picks it up and uses it to wipe up what was left on the plate and shoves it into her mouth. She swallows it whole and her stomach is begging for more, but there was no more. She moves over to the sink washing the plate off when she hears Shaun begin to cry.

 

“You gonna go check on that little runt or do I need to do it?” he angrily asks her.

She doesn't answer him and begins for the hallway to Shaun's room. She's greeted by Codsworth.

 

“Mum! Shaun has been changed but he absolutely refuses to calm down. I think he needs some of that maternal affection you seem to be so good at.”

“Fucking stupid goddamn robot! Can't even take care of a baby! You're useless _Cogsworth_. I should have you disassembled for scrap!” Andrew yells taking another swig from his drink.

“It's ok Codsworth, I'll take care of him, don't worry” giving him a slight grin. She liked Codsworth and did everything she could to keep him in the house. She appreciated that he had tried to help her out one day when Andrew slapped her in the face but all it did was result in Andrew ripping one of his eyes off. Jamie had to send him off to the Galleria for repairs. He was back home in a week and never tried to intervene again. It pained Codsworth to watch her suffer but she had told him not to worry. If it was him or her, she wanted it to be her because having him around was important.

 

She walks into Shaun's room and his wailing stops as soon as he sees her.

“Hey big guy! It's ok Mommy's here” she's hovering over him looking down into his crib. She turns the mobile for him and he giggles with excitement. It's music to her ears. Getting pregnant with Shaun was a complete accident but Andrew tells her all the time that she deserved it. She deserved to suffer through the morning sickness and pain she had to endure during his birth. And she believes him …

Her frail body couldn't handle the first three pregnancies she attempted which resulted in miscarriages. She wanted to be a mother so badly and after every failure she'd cried for weeks. Her doctors told her if she didn't start eating properly that it would happen but when she tried to convince Andrew to let her have more food he only starved her more. She couldn't believe it when she made it to 3 months with Shaun. Then 4, then 5.

Andrew had told her she was useless, pathetic and that she didn't even compare to the other women he slept around with. He'd come home drunk off his ass after being with however many other women and make her have sex with him. It was awful for her, she barely even felt a thing anymore, even though it was rape. She knew not to struggle or he'd beat her for it. Years of sleeping around, she knew she was bound to get an STD since he never used condoms. Which resulted in her pregnancies as well. There was nothing she could do though. She's convinced that she deserves all of it, that she is worthless, that she's pathetic, so why does she cry in the shower every morning? Her life's become one giant nightmare and she can't wake up from it. The only thing worth staying alive for being Shaun. She loved being a mother to him and would do anything to keep him away from Andrew. He was not going to beat him like he beat her. Her train of thought was interrupted by Codsworth's urgent beckoning.

 

“MUM! You should come and see this!!” he yells to her from the living room.

“Codsworth? What's wrong?!” she yells back. Something was wrong, she could hear the concern in his voice. She gives Shaun one last glance and smile before turning on her heel to walk back to the living room. She's halfway down the hallway when her heart stops. She listens to the man on the tv.

“Followed by, yes, followed by flashes, blinding flashes, sounds of explosions, we're uh trying to get confirmation … we've seemed to have lost contact with our ...” She doesn't hear the rest only Andrew's frantic voice in her ears and the blood running through her veins. _It can't be … the end of the world … damn the vault tec rep wasn't kidding_! She turns her gaze to Andrew. He's a sweating mess and he's dropped his bottle on the rug. He's … he's scared. _Good. For once he knows the feeling_ she thinks.

 

“We need to get to the vault!” she says, scared to death. She's already shaking.

“WE? FUCK YOU I'M GOING AND TAKING THE BRAT WITH ME!” he screams at her, knocking her to the floor. She hits the floor hard and sees Andrew running back through the hallway with Shaun in his arms and out the door. She can already hear the sirens going off.

“YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO GET IN WITHOUT ME!” she yells to him but he's already gone. She gets up off the floor to start for the vault but sees Codsworth.

“Codsworth! It'll … it'll be alright … you'll be fine, don't worry!” she tells him as she's about to cry. She doesn't want to leave him but knows she has to.

“Go Mum! Go, you need to hurry!” he's gently pushing her towards the door.

“I-Codsworth. T-thank you, for everything ...” she tells him before giving him a hug and kissing him gently on what she thinks would be his cheek. She turns and starts at a dead run for the vault.

Outside it's a beautiful day but it is a hectic mess. Families running to the vault, military tanks and personnel directing citizens where to go, vertibirds flying overhead. The sirens are even louder outside. As she runs to the path up to the vault she can hear families trying to fight over what to take with them. She's slamming her feet into the ground not stopping once, over the bridge of the tiny stream, a military rep is at the top of the hill screaming “Head to the gate! Vault participants, check in there!” She can even hear the vault tech rep she talked to 15 minutes ago “That's absurd! I AM Vault Tec!” Andrew's already there about to start a fight for not letting him in.

 

“I'M HERE! I'M HERE, LET US IN!!!!” she screams at the officer.

“Infant. Adult male. Adult female.” He stands aside to let them through. “Ok go ahead”

“About time asshole!” Andrew swears at the officer. He starts again for the vault but Jamie stands there frozen staring at the vault tech rep. He's scared to death and she can see it in eyes.

“JAMIE COME THE FUCK ON! WE NEED TO GO!” Andrew's voice makes her jump as he yells at her in a tone she's heard a million times. Her chest is tight and her bottom lip quivers as tears stream down her face as she keeps staring at the vault tech rep and the other families standing in front of the gate. _Oh god, they're -they're going to die_ she tells herself.

“YOU TWO! FOLLOW ME C'MON!” the vault security guard screams at her. She finally breaks her gaze and continues in her run up the hill.

“What's going to happen to all those people outside the gate?” she asks the security guard.

“We're doing everything we can ma'am, now keep moving!” beckoning them to follow him.

“Jamie who gives a fuck we're going to make it alive!” Andrew tells her. She hates him, wants to punch him so hard until his face is a mound of blood and bones in front of her. Her heart is pounding in her chest as she sets for the platform of the vault. The vertibird landing next to them blows wind in her eyes making her eyes water.

“STEP ON THE PLATFORM, IN THE CENTER!” the security guard tells them.

 

Andrew is already on it before she gets there. There are other people waiting there too but only a few. _Is this it? Is this really all who's here?_ She asks herself. Shaun's still wrapped in Andrew's arms. At least he's safe. She stands and waits looking around. _What's taking so long! C'mon!_

Before she can ask how much longer she hears it before she sees it. A vicious BANG hits the ground miles away and she turns her head and sees it. Bright, white light stings her eyes and the explosion lifts into a mushroom cloud. She waits for the wave to hit her thinking _this is it. This is how I die._ Closing her eyes, waiting for it, she never feels it though as the elevator begins to acsend down into the vault.

 


	2. Awoken and Frozen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After watching Andrew die, Jamie wakes up in the Vault and is eager to get out. She comes into contact with her first enemies, giant fucking bugs and scrambles to get out!

The elevator down to the Vault was fucking dark, Jamie couldn't see her hand in front of her. It didn't stay dark for long though as they reached the bottom of the lift. The Vault gates appeared before her and the others that had made it out alive.

 

“Everyone please step off the elevator and proceed up the stairs in an orderly fashion” a Vault Tec Security guard commanded politely. A new voice appears.

 

“No need to worry, folks! We'll get everyone situated in your new home. Vault 111! A better future. Underground!” the Vault Overseer reassures everyone in a calm voice.

 

Jamie stands there watching everyone walk off the platform. She can feel the chill on her skin being underground. Plus with how underweight she is, it cuts right through her thin blouse and pants. She's been there for 5 minutes and she's already shivering. Or maybe she's still shaking from the shock, she can't tell. She had been ready to die up there, welcomed it. Anything to end this nightmare. Anything so that Andrew would never be able to lay a hand on her again. A hand on her shoulder makes her jerk back to reality with a flinch.

 

“Hey whoa sorry, don't be afraid. Are you alright?” the Vault Security guard asks her. She notices she's still standing in the elevator.

 

“I-I'm fine, thank you” she answers stepping to the side to create some room between her and him, avoiding him. It's the first time she's been out of the house for _months_.

 

She walks up the stairs slowly as she hears the Vault Computer overhead.

“Vault-Tec is here for you. All new residents please proceed in an orderly fashion. Welcome Home!”

 

She continues forward to a Vault-Tec Staff with a clip board. He looks up from his notes and finds her staring at him.

“Hello there! Once we seal the Vault, we'll all be getting to know each other a lot more, I'm sure.” he smiles at her.

Andrew's voice makes her jump, she had forgotten all about him. He still had Shaun in his arms. “You keep you're goddamn hands off my wife! She's mine! And where the fuck have you been? Lost in your own head like those worthless books you read? Fucking goddamn useless bitch, I swear ...” his voice fades as he turns to go through the scanning bars. She turns back to the Vault-Tec Staff. He looks at her, back at Andrew then back at her.

“I'm sorry, don't worry about that” she tells him in her attempt at a chirpier tone. It doesn't work. She turns to move forward once again, this time through the scanning bars herself. The low  _bnnnng_ rings in her ears but it's not too loud. A Vault-Tec Staff stands at the end handing out clear plastic bundles of something blue.  _They-they have to wear suits? Oh god_ … she thinks. This was going to be embarrassing. Everyone was going to see how thin she was. Her mind goes overactive with worry. “ _Goddamnit, people are going to see!”_ It's her turn as the Vault-Tec Staff holds out a suit for her.

“Here you go honey! You'll need your suits before we take you further.”

“T-thanks. W-what now?” her voice was shaking from how cold she was. She was trying to hide it but it wasn't working.

“Just follow the doctor, here. He'll show you where to go.” she answers Jamie.

“All right, you three. Follow me!” the Vault-Tec Doctor beckons them. She let's Andrew go in front of her, following the Doctor.

“Oh you're going to love it here. This is one of our most advanced facilities. Not that the others aren't great, mind you ...” the Doc's cut off, interrupted by Andrew.

“I can't believe we have to wear these stupid suits! You got anything else we can wear? How long are we going to be stuck underground?” Andrew complains.

“ _Maybe if your dumbass would shut the fuck up you'd know the answers to your own questions if you'd listen to the Doctor”_ she thinks.

The Doctor chuckles “Oh no sir, you have to wear the Vault suit. We'll be going over all that in orientation. Just a few medical items we have to get through first.” he informs them.

“UGH. God, you fucking doctors never know shit!” Andrew comments. The Doctor ignores him as they keep walking forward. Jamie's barely heard a word they've said. She's clutching the Vault suit in her arms to her chest. Her stomach is clenched as well, she was freezing! They walk into a long hallway room filled with giant storage looking pods.  _“What the hell are these? Decontaminate chambers? But the scanners would have found something in the first room”_ she thinks to herself. They stop at the end of the hallway.

“Just step in here and put your Vault suit on. Take your time. We've got all day.” the Doctor tells them. Andrew's already handed someone Shaun and is bickering as he pulls his clothes off and stepping into his suit. Jamie turns around so that she can't see anyone looking at her and begins stripping her clothes off. A few gasps are held as she pulls the blouse over her head slightly nicking her pony tail. She knows why. Besides being severely underweight, her torso is covered in bruises and scars. Her skin is as white as paper from being kept in the house all the time unless she was doing yard work. She removes her shoes and her pants then turns around with the Vault suit in her hands. She's embarrassed but she wants Andrew to see that the other people can see her. The others watch as she slides the Vault suit onto her thin body. Her bones stick out everywhere, the worst being her spine, rib cage and hipbones. One of the residents turns away unable to look anymore and Jamie wants to cry. Wants to tell all of them the hell she's been though. She doesn't say a word though as she zips up the suit over her tiny, barely there breasts. Andrew has watched her the entire time with a grin on his face.

She turns and climbs into her open pod. As soon as she's in the door pulls down over her and she's instantly uncomfortable. She was never claustrophobic but this was making her feel that way. Something was wrong, she knew it. This is not what she signed up for, the other Vaults can't have done this same procedure, can they? She can see Andrew and Shaun through a window in her door.

“The pod will decontaminate and depressurize you before we head deeper in the Vault. Just relax” the Doctor tells them.

“Time for a whole new life ...” she says out loud to no one in particular.  _“One where I'm not beaten to a pulp on a daily basis”_ She hears the Vault Computer again.

“Resident secure. Occupant vitals. Normal. Procedure complete.”

She's shaking hard now. Was it her or was it getting colder? She watches the window fog over.

“In 5... 4… 3... 2... 1...” The room goes white when the computer gets to 1.

 

 

She continues to stare through her window as she hears the Vault Computer again.

“Manual override initiated. Cryogenic stasis suspended” she hears.

_“WHAT! Manual override! Cryogenic stasis! Damnit I KNEW something was wrong. These mother fuckers froze us!!!!!!!”_ she thinks as the fog on the window fades. She can see through it again. The chill hits her hard and she's freezing all over again. Her breath is shaky as an unknown stranger pops up to the right of her vision. 

“This is the one. Here.” they say pointing at Andrew's pod.  _“Who the hell is that?”_ Another figure appears walking to the opposite side of the pod. He had something on his left shoulder, some kind of big piece of metal. Jamie watches, attention sharp. 

“Open it” the man says with a voice thick enough to cut through glass. A voice one would remember.

Andrew's pod opens and he begins to cough. Shaun cries.

“Are we done? We ok?” Andrew asks.

The mysterious figure speaks again, answering Andrew. “Almost. Everything's going to be fine.”

The first figure is reaching their arms out to grab Shaun …  _oh no … their trying to take Shaun!_

“No, no wait. No, I've got him!” Andrew pulls back out of the figures reach. 

“Let the boy go. I'm only gonna tell you once!” the mysterious figure demands holding his gun up and pointing it at Andrew's head while Andrew still fights with the first figure.

“I'M NOT GIVING YOU SHAUN!” Andrew screams before Jamie jumps in surprise, hearing the gun go off.

The gun shot was loud and echoed through the hallway. The first figure takes Shaun from his hands as he slides back against the pod, dead. She hears Shaun wail from the loud noise.  _“He's – he's dead”_ She hears the mysterious figure start again. 

“Goddamnit! Get the kid out of here, and let's go ...” he says turning to her as Andrew's pod door closes shut. The first figure runs off with Shaun as his cries get louder.

“No! NO, GIVE ME SHAUN! GIVE ME BACK MY BABY!” Jamie screams as the second figure pushes his face to her window. A man in his 40's, balding with shaved hair on the sides, a vertical scar on his forehead above his left eye fading into his eyebrow, another long scar following down his left cheek into his beard and another scar on the side of his left cheek. A burn scar, at least that's what it looked like on his right. He was wearing a leather jacket with the sleeve rolled up on his right arm, the big chunk of metal she saw on his left.  _“It-it's armor”_

“At least we still have the backup …” he says as he takes off out of her view down the hallway.

“NO! NO GODDAMNIT, YOU GIVE ME BACK MY SON!” she's screaming again, angry, pounding her fists on the door, slamming her palms into the metal door so hard it stings her skin. Trying to shove the door open she hears the Vault Computer again.

“Cryogenic sequence reinitialized”

NO! NOT AGAIN, YOU LET ME THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!” the frost on the door reappears on her window. She feels the chill settle in again. They were re-freezing them. She was losing her consciousness again while still fighting to get the door open.

“No, damnit please, _no! NO! NO!N-NO!N—N … Shaun ….”_ she fights to stay awake as her vision goes white again, the tears falling down her face.

 

 

Her vision clears again, gasping and coughing trying to catch her breath. She leans on the pod door once more, pushing and beating on it, trying to get out. The Vault Computer starts again.

“Critical failure in Cryogenic Array. All Vault residents must vacate immediately.”

Jamie's slamming her palms into the metal again as the door opens and she falls out, hitting the floor hard. She pushes off the floor standing up. She looks around. She's all alone, by herself. She can hear the water dripping off the pods that have thawed out. She's freezing again and soaking wet from the frost being thawed on her Vault suit. She stands in front of Andrew's pod and pushes the release switch. His pod door opens and he lays there, dead. She-she can't believe it. He's actually gone.

She continues to stare and begins to cry. She pushes her hands into her face and slumps to the floor. Sitting back on her heels her crying slowly turns into laughter. Her laughter turns into loud laughter. Shoving herself off the floor again, she walks right up to his pod, screaming in laughter.

“YOU'RE NOT SO GODDAMNIT BIG AND BAD NOW ARE YOU?! BAHAHA!” she says to his lifeless body.

Still laughing she says,“It's too goddamn bad I couldn't do it myself!” Her brow furrows. “YOU … YOU DESERVED THIS. YOU BEAT THE SHIT OUTTA ME FOR NO REASON! … FOR YEARS!” her laughter has died out and she's screaming in anger at him now. “YOU FUCKING TOOK MY VIRGINITY FROM ME, MY PARENTS WOULD BE ASHAMED OF ME! MADE ME FUCK YOU AFTER YOU WENT OUT WITH THEM WHORES, GAVE ME STD'S, GOT ME PREGNANT, STARVED ME HALF TO DEATH. I LOST 3 CHILDREN BECAUSE OF YOU.” The anger has blown out of her now and she's back to crying, choking on her words. “YOU THREW ME UP A-AGAINST ANYTHING YOU COULD FIND, Y-Y-YOU BROKE MY BODY, BROKE MY MIND, 4 B-BROKEN RIBS CRACKED T-TOO FAR BAD THAT THEY WOULDN'T EVEN SET S-STRAIGHT, A SLIPPED SPINAL DISC F-FROM WHEN YOU S-S-SLAMMED ME BACKWARDS OVER THE COUCH, B-BROKE MY FUCKING S-SHOULDER WHICH YOU SQUEEZED EVERY GODDAMN MORNING AS YOU CAME IN TO EAT YOUR FFFFUCKING BREAKFAST, 6 BROKEN FINGERS, A BROKEN W-WRIST … and a b-b-b-broken nose.” She had lost her steam and screamed for far too long, her voice was going hoarse. She stood there crying again.

“V-Vaginal tearing too … I can't even begin to tell you how fucking B-BAD you really were. All those times you tried to t-touch me, telling me to c-c-come for you. HA! I never came! Not once! I've never even had an orgasm because of you. You P-PATHETIC, WORTHLESS, USELESS PIECE OF S-SHIT!” she slams her fists into his chest at the last words. She stands back huffing air, letting the tears pour down her face. She looks up to his hands. He's still wearing his wedding ring. She walks over to him again, grabbing his cold, dead fingers and ripping the ring off of him.

“I don't think you'll be needing this ever again ...” she trails off holding the ring in her hand. She takes off hers as well and places them in a pocket in her suit. She looks around and notices the other pods. She hadn't even thought to release them in her fit of rage. _“Foucs, Jamie. You need to find Shaun, remember.”_ She releases the switch but is answered by the Vault Computer again.

“Malfunction in Cryo Pod manual release override.” _“No, I-I can't be the only one left, they-they're all dead. No …”_

It was true though. She checks on the terminal near the pods at the start of the hallway. Every single one of them had died due to asphyxiation. _“Jesus Christ no ...”_

She moves forward to the sliding door and it opens for her. In the next room there are more Cryo Pods in another room she can see through a window. No doubt they were all dead too. “ _Fucking Vault-Tec, why would they do this?!”_ She keeps moving forward and comes to a door that doesn't open. She pushes on it with her palms but it doesn't budge. _“Guess I've gotta go the other way ...”_ She continues through the other door that opens for her into another room of the Vault. She goes down the tiny set of stairs into the new room and freezes. She sees a giant blob in the window. Wait, it's not a blob, it's-is that a- _a bug_? A roach, but holy shit it's the size of a small dog. The Vault Tec Rep had warned her about mutations but holy fuck! It was huge!!!

“Giant roaches! What the fuck!?!” her breathing becomes heavy and she's terrified. Giant fucking bugs! What else would there be, and what was up on the surface? Was it even safe to go yet?

 

She continues on following the sliding doors. She finds a small room with 2 open empty lockers, 2 desks, one of which has a terminal on it and a few filing cabinets. She rummages through the desks but finds little of anything. She takes the bobby pins and pack of cigarettes and stuffs them in one hand and picks up the stimpak on the second desk with her other hand. She doesn't have the room to carry this stuff, maybe there was a bag she could take with her? With her hands full she walks back out of the room and continues down the Vault corridors. The empty hallways were strangely quiet and gave her the creeps. She finds another room leading into what looked like a cafeteria. One of those roaches was on the floor blocking her path. She backs away slowly trying to think of a way to avoid it when she sees a baton on a metal table. She creeps towards it, dropping her loot on the table and picks it up. She holds it in her shaky hands and flings it out holding tight as it extends. She didn't even know if this would work, but the roach has seen her by now and was coming right for her. She screams, stumbling backwards until her back hits the wall with no where else to go. It's coming at her and fast. She lifts her arm back and swings as the baton smashes the roach into the floor. Sighing with relief, she picks herself back up off the floor and starts for the room with the cafeteria tables. She'd come back for the supplies later.

There's a desk with a terminal, and a full kitchen, a bathroom and a room filled with bunk beds and lockers. She checks the terminal but doesn't find much only a holotape that reads _Red_ Menace. She goes for the room with the bunk beds. Maybe there was more she could take, maybe a real weapon? “ _You don't even know how to shoot a gun, Jamie”_ she tells herself. She'd need something though.

The lockers were pretty empty but she did find a backpack which she took and slung over her shoulders. _“Great! Something to carry all that crap in!”_ She also finds a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans that she slips on over her Vault suit. She was dry now but she was still freezing. Guess being frozen was part of the reason. _“Wonder how long I've been here?”_

She walks over to the fridge hoping for something but finds nothing. Closing the door shut she turns back to walk to the table where she left her supplies sitting and dumps them all into her pack. Slinging the pack over her shoulders once more, baton in had she continues onward.

She comes to a room with what looked like to be giant power generators that were sparking blue waves to the ground. She maneuvers around the room avoiding the sparks as to don't get hit. She assumes it would be a nasty jolt that she didn't want to experience. As she makes her way over to the sliding door there are 2 more of those giant roaches blocking her way along with a- _skeleton_ wrapped in a Vault 111 suit. Groaning at the site of more bugs, she tightens her grip on the baton and lunges forward, mashing them into the floor before they ever have a chance to see her. Ever gaze glides over the skeleton. It's all there was just bones, along with the Vault suit. Whoever it was died there and they're bodies having rotted away a long time ago. She stands in front of the sliding door once more and it opens.

“Goddamnit, more fucking bugs!” she yells out as she smacks them with her baton. At least they were easy to kill but this was getting annoying. She walks up the set of stairs to the next door. The door opens and she's brought into a big room with another _skeleton_ on the floor, a U shaped desk with a terminal, 3 stimpaks and … _“YES! A pistol!”_ Setting her baton on the table, she swings her pack off to take the stimpaks and the ammo she finds near the gun. She grips the 10MM pistol in her hand and it's heavier than she expected. “ _Guess I'll learn how to use it eventually ...”_ but for now she stuffs it in her pack. Searching the room some more she finds a single bobby pin, folding money from pre war, and another small caged room within the room. It looked something similar to rooms like police stations had to lock up evidence. The door to it was wide open and peeks her head inside. More ammo lies on the floor and metal shelf to which she picks up with no hesitation. Nothing in the filing cabinet. Another 10MM pistol lies there, maybe having 2 wouldn't be such a bad idea. Grabbing it she looks at the locked case attached to the wall on her left. It's an even bigger gun but she doesn't have the skill to pick that lock. Looking at the label it reads “The Cryolator” _“How ironic ...”_ She's not too sure if she even can pick a lock. _“Guess I'll be back for you some other time.”_ She turns around and finds a bedroom connected to the room she's standing in. 

2 empty dressers and a badly faded bed with a closed locker and an end table with a pack of cigarettes lying on top. Picking up the pack, she walks over to the locker and finds more ammo for her pistols. She sees the bathroom and walks over to the sink dropping her pack on the floor. She turns the water on and pools it into her hands, pushing the water to her face as she bends down. She doesn't notice how thirsty she is until she's sucking it right out of the tap. She drinks to her content, maybe a little too much but she needed it. With no one else around to tell her what she could and couldn't have, it was a whole new feeling to finally be the one in charge of herself. She wipes her face off, flinging the water into the sink. She looks up and notices a medicine cabinet. Opening it she finds a stimpak and more bobby pins. She was finding all kinds of good stuff. She makes her way back to the room with the U shaped desk. The terminal sits on the desk with a flashing prompt. Leary, she walks over to the terminal and cycles through the options. [VAULT 111 OVERSEER INSTRUCTIONS] catches her eye first thing. She selects it and watches the words pop on the screen. It reads: 

**“ Vault 111 is designed to test the long-term effects of suspended animation on unaware, human subjects. Your staff will be on short-term assignment to monitor basic cardiopulmonary and cognitive functions. Long-term monitoring will be handled remotely by Vault-Tec technicians.**

**Under no circumstance is suspension to be disrupted. This includes the administration of life-saving measures. Your staff is also considered expendable. Insubordination or attempts to evacuate prematurely are capital violations. Unused cryogenic pods are the preferred method for cadaver disposal.”**

_ “JESUS CHRIST THESE PEOPLE WERE FUCKING CRAZY!”  _ she thinks. She needs to leave, she needs to get out! Her heart pounding in her ears, she selects the [Open Evacuation Tunnel] option and bolts for the door. Rounding the corner, she stops with a jolt as she sees 5 more of those roaches. She doesn't have time for this, she needs to get out!  _ “Maybe if I just run? C'mon how far would they really follow me?”  _ She runs for it. She's able to make it past all of them motioning for the door to close behind her. She makes it to the entrance room with the giant Vault door. She kills the lone roach, signals for the doors to close, makes one last sweep of the room, finding more ammo and runs around to the Vault door control panel. She's about to hit the button to release the door when she spots something on the ground next to another skeleton. A fancy wrist watch is what it looks like but big enough to cover half of her forearm. Was this one of those Pip-Boy's she had heard about? She picks it up, plops it onto her arm, pushes the latch in place and hits the power button as she wipes the screen off. It seems to run through some diagnostics before the well known Pip-Boy pops up giving her a thumbs up. A few seconds pass and her vitals show up.  _ “Good, it works!”  _ She pulls out the connector wire from her Pip-Boy, plugs it into the control panel and slams her fist down on to the button. She hears the gears working to release the door immediately and the Vault Computer again. 

 

“Vault door cycling sequence initiated. Please stand back.” She rushes to the walkway and waits for the Vault door to open. It takes more than a couple of seconds but as soon as she sees the Vault door being pulled back she's up on the extending walkway and holds her arm up to shield her eyes from the bright white lights. She's running at this point and rushes down the stairs and waits for the elevator door open. It's slow and stops in the middle but she bends down and under it and waits for the gates to close once more.  _ “This is it, I'm finally getting out!!!”  _ The gate closes shut and Jamie hears the Vault Computer for one last time as the elevator begins to ascend back to the top of the surface. “Enjoy your return to the surface. And thank you for choosing Vault-Tec.” 

“Yea, up yours, you bitch” she says aloud and watches as the platform doors move closer to her and crack open.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to make a new friggin game to get most of these details in this chapter! The play throughs on youtube weren't doing it for me!Now I know there's no pockets on the Vault suit but Imma pretend there are and I know there's no backpacks in the game but damnit there should be! And I know you can't wear clothes over your Vault suit but PRETEND PPL! Thank gawd for mods <3 Thank you all for the kudos and support, I highly appreciate it! The story moves on!
> 
> Link to tumblr on Jamie and Andrew's character creation: http://kingsofleon2112.tumblr.com/post/141861950450/this-andrew-and-jamie-milner-i-wasnt-joking-when


	3. Home at Last?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jamie meets up with Codsworth and a four legged furry friend but is slowly finding out the Commonwealth is no longer a safe place ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some dialogue and game events have been taken straight from the game in spots but I do try to add my own little side convos with them to make it feel like a separate story. DON'T SUE ME BETHESDA :D
> 
> BTW: She talks to herself in her head a lot so that why there's a lot of italicized thinking

The daylight stings her eyes so she shields her vision once more with her left forearm. It's a little hard to lift at first since the Pip-Boy is kind of heavy but she quickly gets used to it. The elevator reaches the top of the surface and she gasps, shocked by what she sees. She expected it to be bad but this was _nothing_. The homes in Sanctuary were no longer pristine or uniform. The nuclear blast had scorched the metal and left holes in the walls and roofs. The beautiful leaves had long since vanished from the trees leaving nothing but bare branches. The ground was rough and lifeless, the gorgeous green grass gone. The world she knew … was gone. She's not quite sure what she should do, where she should go. Going back to the Vault was out of the question. She figures going back to Sanctuary Hills is her best bet.

She turns around and notices the skeletons instantly. All those helpless people, they had died depending on Vault-Tec and this was how they treated them. A part of her wishes she never agreed to be part of the Vault but without it, she would have never gotten rid of Andrew. He would of ended up killing her eventually. Suddenly, her stomach growls angrily at her. Damn she was hungry, maybe there was still some food in the house … maybe? She starts to make her way to the dirt path leading back towards Sanctuary when she spots 3 yellow wooden crates. She checks them before she goes and checks the remaining area for supplies. She finds some first aid supplies, even a comfy pillow! She checks the blue trailer and spots it before she even steps foot in the trailer; a can of Cram underneath an end table. She bolts to it, but stopping abruptly short way. Before picking it up, she checks behind her to make sure no one was watching her. _“What are you doing, there's no one here!”_ This was going to be a hard habit for her to break; years of constant watch from Andrew have made her paranoid. What was she expecting? For him to come stammering towards her and rip it from her fingers? She picks up the can and rips the lid off and shoves the processed meat into her mouth using her fingers. _“Mmmmmmm!”_ Salty and mushy, the shit was so bad for you but right now she could care less. She quickly finishes her binge as her stomach lurches for more. As she licks her fingers clean, she notices the small table to her left. A Coffee pot and coffee mugs lay there but what's this? Something shiny and round. She picks it up and turns it over. _Ah, a Nuka Cola bottle cap_. She goes to drop it back but something stops her. _“Keep it, maybe it'll bring you good luck. Your first bottle cap!”_ She gets up and stuffs the bottle cap into the pocket of her jeans, leaving the empty Cram can there and sets forward back onto the dirt path. She's quite eager to get back to the house and get her stuff. Well, hoping to get her stuff ... She'd been keeping things hidden under the floor board of their bedroom for a while so that Andrew wouldn't find it. A large rug kept it covered so he never noticed the difference.

Walking down the path she glances at her Pip-Boy, getting to know the interface menus, flicking through the screens. Stats, aid management, a map, radio stations. While observing the map she comes to a dead halt, stopping in her walk when she glances at the date. She was looking for the time, the same time it was when she went into the Vault at 10a.m., but the date makes her jaw drop. It-it read 10.23.2287.  _“No … nonono, c'mon now it can't be. The bombs dropped in 2077. I can't-no … 2-210 years ...”_ There was no fucking way, she couldn't believe it. Vault-Tec had kept them frozen for 210 years!

“That's not possible!” she whispers to herself, confounded. Dumbfounded, she let's her arm fall to her side and thinks it best to keep moving. She looks around, taking in the scenery or what was left of it, noticing big purple flowers growing together in a rather large bush. _“There's—there's still flowers!?”_ She walks over to the plant, gently pulling one from the stems. It was beautiful but was nothing she had ever seen before. The radiation must have mutated some of the plants, separating them into their own species. Maybe she could use them for something? The flowers instantly remind her of the people in the Vault. She ponders that if she ever gets the time she'd like to bring all the people except for Andrew up to the surface and bury them. They deserved it at least, Andrew, on the other hand … could lay there and rot ...

Continuing onward, she makes her way slowly over the wooden bridge, which oddly enough, was still there and intact. The small stream was still there as well and the water was surprisingly clear. She bends down near the bank and cups her hands to gather water and brings her handful up to her mouth and drinks since the Cram had made her thirsty. She jumps, letting the water drop as the Pip-Boy starts clicking at her ear. She glances at the screen and finds out what the problem is, noticing a built in Geiger counter. She had taken radiation damage, discovering the water had become irradiated. _“Oh no!”_ She begins to worry but the Pip-Boy only shows that she's taken 2 points of rad poisoning. _“Well, 2 points won't kill me … right?”_ She tries to reassure herself as she decides it's best not to drink from unknown water sources. Standing back up and wiping her hands on her jeans, she continues on the dirt path. Walking a little further, her Pip-Boy dings, responding to a location she's found as she steps back into what's left of Sanctuary Hills. “ _Sanctuary, home sweet home …”_ She stands there looking around at all the homes, the cracked asphalt of what was the road, the rusted streetlights, and the eroded vehicles that still sat in the driveways but hears something near on her left. _The hiss and hum of a torch and machinery._ Codsworth! It had to be! She turns her gaze and steps forward until she's sure it's him. _“It's him, he made it!!!!”_

“CODSWORTH!” smiling wide, giving an excited shout to get his attention. Codsworth turns to glance at whoever called his name until he notices the frail woman waving her hand above her head to catch his gaze.

“MUM!” she hears him shout back in his familiar accent. She goes into a dead run towards him, smile still perched on her face and tears welling in her eyes.

The distance between them shortens as she throws herself towards him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug, the tears sliding down her cheeks now.

“As I live and breathe … it's … it's REALLY you!” Codsworth sounds like he could cry.

 

“Oh, Codsworth, I'm so happy to see you! I-I was afraid you didn't make it. You're … you're still here. So … so other people could still be alive, too ...” she wipes the tears off her cheeks as she talks with him. She'd been so afraid he had vanished with the nuclear blast.

 

“Well of course I'm still here! Surely you don't think a little radiation could deter the pride of General Atomics International? But you seem the worse for wear. Best not let the … _hubby_ see you in that state … Where is … _Sir_ , by the way?” Codsworth struggled with the mention of Jamie's husband. He shared no respect for the man, if you could call him that.

 

“Oh don't worry Codsworth, he's dead. We don't have to worry about him anymore.”

 

“Oh and about time too if you don't mind my saying Mum. That swine deserved it with the way he treated you … _bastard_ … excuse my language Mum … but you need a distraction, to calm this dire mood. Checkers? Or perhaps charades? Shaun does so love that game! Is the lad … with you …? Codsworth looks around but doesn't see Shaun anywhere, not even in her arms.

 

“He's-he's gone … goddamn it! He's … he's been kidnapped, someone took him! Someone unfroze us, opened … Andrew's pod, shot him as he fought back and took him! They stole my baby!” she's angry, starting to shout as the tears well in her eyes again.

 

“I say, it's worse than I thought. Mum … I think you're suffering from … hunger-induced paranoia. Not eating properly for 200 years will do that, I'm afraid.” So it was true … She really had been on ice for over 200 years …

 

“I … I was right then. I did the math when I saw the date on my Pip-Boy … 200 years … guess it doesn't really matter how long it's been, I feel fine ...” she lies, she was still starving, still thirsty, even after drinking all that water from the sink in Vault.

“A bit over 210 actually, Mum. Give or take a little for the Earth's rotation and some minor dings to the ole' chronometer. That means you're two centuries late for dinner! Ha ha ha! Perhaps I can whip you up a snack? You must be famished!”

 

Something was wrong, Codsworth knew she always made the food in the house, due to Andrew's command. Plus, she doubted there was a kitchen stocked full with food left for the makings, so why was he offering to cook for her now?

 

“Codsworth are you alright? You're acting … a little weird. Something wrong?” she asks him in a concerned tone.

 

“I … I ...” he begins to wail. “Oh Mum! It's been just horrible! Two centuries with no one to talk to, no one to serve. I spent the first ten years trying to keep the floors waxed, but nothing gets out nuclear fallout from vinyl wood. Nothing! And don't get me started about the futility of dusting a collapsed house. And the car! Oh, the car! How do you polish rust?” he sobs.

 

“Don't worry about the car, it was Andrew's anyways. What do you know, Codsworth?”

 

“I'm afraid I don't know anything, Mum. The bombs came, and all of you left in such a hurry. I thought for certain you and your family were … _dead_ … Now! Enough feeling sorry for myself! Shall we search the neighborhood together? Young Shaun may turn up yet!” he says with wishful thinking.

 

“Have you seen anything dangerous? I-I ran into these … bugs in the Vault. They look like roaches but they're huge Codsworth! Th-they came at me, like they wanted to hurt me … or worse!” she stammers on in her fear.

 

“Oh, just the usual, Mum. Pesky neighborhood dogs and mosquitoes. Shall I investigate?

 

“ _Mosquitoes? Great, more goddamn bugs!”_ “All right. Lead the way.” she tells him but is hesitant. First roaches now mosquitoes! She hoped to God that they weren't gigantic like the roaches were. A dreadful feeling told her they would be though …

 

“Proud to serve, Mum!” he exclaims in a cheerful voice as he begins to wander off to the neighborly homes, humming in his stride. She follows him into a home two houses down from hers when she hears Codsworth slicing away at … _something_ with his built-in saw. As she walks up to the doorway, she's met with a massive floating creature with wings and two eyes that were larger than it's head. _“Are those … flies?”_ Flies yes but not so tiny anymore. She was starting to learn that the radiation had to have mutated the common wildlife of the area. She pulls out her baton just in case but Codsworth seemed to be doing very well on his own, attacking and killing the creatures.

 

“Take that!” he shouts as his saw slices the last of the mutated insects. “Nothing here but a few flies, Mum” he goes on as she searches through the house. She goes to the fridge and grips the handle tight and pulls the door open. _YES!_ A can of Pork n' Beans and a Nuka Cola stood on the top shelf. She grabs them and stuffs them in her pack as she turns around and notices a counter. A pack of bubblegum lay on top of it and she gently takes it into her hand. She stares at the green wrapping and has a sudden memory of her parents. Whenever she did well in school or gymnastics competitions, they'd buy her an entire pack of gum all for herself. She loved the stuff and chewed it constantly. The sudden recall brings tears to her eyes while she opens the pack, undoes the thin metallic wrapper off a stick and chews it into her mouth. The crisp sweetness makes her mouth water as she smacks and chews at the gum.

 

Codsworth's voice makes her jump. “Wait! … My sensors are picking up movement in another house. Follow me!” They cross the street to another home, her right behind him in his stride. She notices the Halloween decorations still hung on the wall surprised that they hadn't been destroyed. She follows him in as she hears him slicing through more flies but he had missed one on his way in. The fly spots her and immediately flings a thick gooey substance … _from it's butt?_

“Ewwww gross!” she complains while jumping back out of the way and and wipes the substance off as Codsworth quickly takes care of the remaining fly. She looks around the living room, it's a complete mess. Chairs flipped onto their sides, barrels sprawled out on to the floor and a sleeping bag placed on the floor to which she picks up, buffs out the dust and rolls it up for the taking.

 

“Mum! Young Shaun … he isn't here ...” Codsworth trails off, saddened by his failure to find Shaun.

 

“Thanks for trying Codsworth ...”

 

“You can't give up, Mum! What about the city? Concord is nearby, and, well, the people there have only shot at me a few times ...”

 

People … there were still people around … people with guns … people that could hurt her. “There's still people alive in Concord?” she asks.

 

“Yes, although they're a bit rough. You remember the way? Just across the southern footbridge out of the neighborhood and past the Red Rocket Station.”

 

“Y-yes I remember the way. _Do I?_ What are you going to do Codsworth? Are you going to stay here?” she asks him trying to remember the way to Concord. _C'mon it can't be that far if Codsworth knows where it is._

 

“Yes, Mum I think I'll stay here and continue to clean up the place a bit. Do take care of yourself, Mum. I don't think I could bare to stand waiting here alone again. Now! Off you go! Good luck in the search for Young Shaun!”

 

She gives him a nod as she turns to continue searching through the homes. There's a slight breeze in the air that makes her arms chilly but the sun is high in the sky at this point and warm on her shoulders and cheeks. The houses don't have much in them but are surprisingly more intact than she ever thought they would be. There was still intact sofas and chairs, televisions, stoves, refrigerators, tables, and cabinets. Parts of the walls and ceilings are missing but the structures are still mostly uniform. Wandering around in one of the hallways, she notices a tin box on the ground labeled “Caps Stash”. She picks it up and gently shakes it and hears the caps inside rattling. Opening the lid she counts 23 bottle caps inside but is so confused. Why would there be bottle caps in a tin box? Why would anyone be hiding them? Maybe Codsworth would know? She turns and walks back outside towards where he had wandered off to. 

 

“Codsworth, I have a question” she asks him walking up to him.

 

“Of course Mum, what can I help you with?” he replies.

 

“I found this box full of caps. Do you know what the caps are for? Seems like somebody was keeping them hidden for some reason.”

 

“Mum, I think it might be currency now that there is no more pre-war money. There's been some caravans that came through here wanting to trade but I simply told them no thanks. I suggest keeping them Mum, you might need them for buying supplies.”

 

“Oh alright Codsworth, thanks”

 

“Sure thing Mum!”

 

Stuffing the box of caps in her pack she heads back to the home she lived in. Part of her doesn't want to step foot back in the house ever again. Stepping through the doorway, the 9 years hit her like a brick to the face. Being thrown over the back of that couch, ramming her into the fridge, throwing plates at her and watching them smash to the floor, kicking her in the side for so long breaking 4 of her ribs in the process, making her fuck him even if he had been out messing around with other women. It makes her want to leave but she just wants to see if it's still there. She rushes to the bedroom and drops to her knees pulling out the carpet from over the floorboard. She shimmy's up the loose floorboard and finds it. The stash of supplies she had been saving for a rainy day if she up and decided to really leave. Two first aid kits, food, money (that she could no longer use), extra clothes and the one thing she needed to hide the most. Her leather back journal that she wrote in almost everyday. She holds it in her hand and smooths the front of the cover with her palm. She savors the feel of the worn leather and begins to cry with the feeling of relief. She had been so afraid it'd be gone, the one true friend she had besides Codsworth. Stuffing all her items in her pack, she stands up to set on her journey to wherever she was going to go when she notices the island counter in the kitchen. The copy of Grognak the Barbarian still sat on the table from before the war. She picks it up and looks at it, grinning at the art work and the title, Jungle of the Bat-Babies. She had never been able to read any of them herself since Andrew snatched them out of her hands as soon as one came with her book club order, one thing being which Andrew allowed her to have. She begins to tear up at the idea again but bats her lashes willing the tears to go away as she stores the magazine in her pack. Clasping the snaps and throwing the straps back over her shoulders she sets forth again. She makes her way to the end of the neighborhood where the arched wooden bridge still stood separating the neighborhood from the rest of the world. She checks the green trash can and finds some grenades _“Whoa!”_ before walking across it admiring the scenery. She's halfway across the bridge when she spots the crest of a Red Rocket station in the skyline. She walks faster to make her way to it when two lifeless forms lay dead at the edge of the road near the bridge. She freezes, gasps, wide-eyed at the sight. “ _Oh-oh no. Are-are they dead?”_ The longer she stands, the more convinced she becomes that they are. She picks up her pace again, slowly making her way over to the body of a dead man and a severely skinny mongrel. She takes any loot she can find from the body, a few caps and removes his jacket. She stands, holding the jacket in hand and looks down at the corpse.

“I'm sorry” she whispers, then turns to make her way to the station. The gas station sign gets closer and closer as she makes her way over. Turning to stand and survey the building for any sign of life, she spots something out of the corner of her eye. Something with four legs and … furry. _“Is that - - a-a dog?”_ The dog, a large full grown German Shepard, spots her before she can avoid him and runs toward her with an alert bark. _“Oh no, oh nononono!!!!”_ She screams out in fear and stumbles backwards and falls on her butt as she catches herself with her elbows. She's still glaring at the dog running towards her when she holds out her arms to shield herself from the animal. So sure he was going to attack her, she'd rather not watch as he ripped her apart so she shuts her eyes tight. “ _This is it, this is how I die … again”_

It had been a few moments while she sat and waited for her death but found that that wasn't going to be the case as the dog licked at her fingers. She slowly opens her eyes and drops her arms as she sees him sitting in front of her, panting. His ears are perked up, beautiful brown eyes and a mouth pulled back into a grin barring his teeth. He leans his head down to her hands again, sniffing. Nudging his nose under her hands she realizes he's just a friendly pup, probably lost like her.

 

“H-hi there. You – you all by yourself, boy?” she greets him for the first time. His ears perk up more at her words and gives her a reassuring bark.

 

“Lose you're owner? It's ok, I lost someone too ...” she trails off, scratching behind his ears and feeling his soft fur. _“Good Lord Jamie you're talking to a dog for fuck's sake ...”_

 

“I've got food, are you hungry?” she asks him pulling out a bag of potato crisps from her pack and opening them. She shimmies out a couple in her hand and reaches out to offer them to him. His ears perk up super high and sniffs at her hand before licking it clean. Jamie smiles and massages him behind his ears again as he leans into her for more, licking her face that makes her giggle. She sits there with the pup, having a snack herself and sharing the rest of the potato crisps with him.

 

“You seem ok, you wanna come with me, bud? The dogs gives her a bark and prances around on his front paws. With a laugh, she brushes her hands off on her jeans and stands back up on her feet.

 

“Ok then, let's stick together buddy”

 

She wanders around looking inside the garage and station shop, or what was left of a shop. In the garage there's a red workbench and a weapons workbench. She listens to the Classical music playing on the radio while staring at something she doesn't quite know what to make of. It's yellow and tall but it looks like a frame of some sorts for something. A car? No-no the cars from Pre-War weren't that tall. She leaves it there, confused, and loots the rest of the station. Not finding much, a few caps, more useless pre-war money, but on the upside, two boxes of Fancy Lad Snack Cakes in the dresser behind the counter. Finding food was not proving to be as big a problem as she thought it would be. Plus if Codsworth was right and there were traders, she could always restock. Stuffing the snacks in her pack she can hear the pup barking endlessly to get her attention at a box on the ground. He's whining and woofing when she makes her way over to him and discovers what he has found. A white first aid box with purified water and a few stimpaks. The stimpaks were all over the place but she had no idea what they were for or how to use them. She gives the pup a wide smile and a pat on the head.

 

“Good job, boy! So, you can find stuff for me, huh?

 

He's wagging his tail and looking up at her but suddenly he freezes, ears perked up and attention sharp. He pushes his nose to the ground sniffing and she hears him begin to growl. Something was wrong.

 

“What is is, boy? Hear something?” Clearly he did and she didn't. It's a few moments and more growling, even barking from the dog before she hears it herself. Burrowing. Something-something was under the ground … right under her feet.

In a snap, she spots the ground burst open and spots an animal, similar to a rat crawling out from the dry, cracked soil. White eyes, rough, spiky skin and hairless, and a large set of teeth in the front of it's mouth hiding another inner set of normal teeth. It was nearly the size of the dog, _“God, were all the animals mutated?”_ and … staring right at her. _“Uh oh ...”_

As quick as one had appeared 4 more burst up through the ground surrounding her and the dog in a circle. Some were bigger and smaller than others but now they were angry. And angry at her, they … they were forming an attack position … _“No”_

She simply stands there watching them baton pulled out in her hand as she starts screaming and waving the baton at them.

 

“GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!” she screams, but they still circle her, waiting for the right moment. Her heart is thudding in her chest and she knows there's no way out. One of the rats rears back digging it's feet into the ground and bolts towards her. She screams again and pulls her arm back to hit it when the dog slams his teeth into the side of it's neck, breaking it with a crack as he asserts violent jerks of his head back and forth. As soon as the first one is down, the dog is on the next and the next, taking all 5 of them down in front of her eyes to protect her. The pup's mouth is covered in the nasty, gooey blood from the rats as he takes down the last one, suffocating it in a choke hold with his mouth. The animal kicks it feet until it can kick no more. Jamie's too busy watching the dog in amazement at his handy work that she doesn't hear the sixth rat sneaking up behind her.

 

“Good job, boy! Who's a good boy, hm?!” she gives him a triumphant smile and pats her thighs for him to come over, but her high attitude is burst all at once when she notices his ears are pinned back once again, teeth barred and more growling. He-he wasn't growling at her … there was another one …

She spins around and there it was. She gasps and her eyes go wide as the last rat she hadn't noticed rears up on it's back legs, kicks off the ground, bolting towards her and jumps at her, digging it's large front fangs into the side of her left rib cage, breaking through her t-shirt and Vault suit into her flesh.

 

“AGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH! NO! GET OFF, GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME, ARRG!” She falls backward, flat on her back, screaming and wailing struggling to shove the rat off of her, tears running down the corners of her eyes into her hairline. The rat releases it's grip from her side and begins to rear back again to attack her face like it had done to her side. She yells and the rat gets an inch from her face until the dog slams face forward into it, knocking it backwards and drags the rat backward in his teeth as the animals kicks and wails to get away. Jamie sits up, shaking and crying and gripping at the wound in her left side with her hand as she watches the pup kill the last rat he had missed seconds before. As soon as the dog is sure it's dead, he runs back over to Jamie, sitting by her side and licking her face and whining. _The pup was smart_ , she thinks. _He-he knows I'm hurt ..._

 

“T-thanks, boy. Guess we need to help each other out and watch each others backs, not just you to mine” she gives him a smile but breaks it into a sob as he licks her face. White, hot searing pain at her side and her hand and clothes are covered in blood. The dog whines and pushes his ears back as he hears her whine herself, wiping the tears off her face. She slowly gets up, wincing at the pain and walks into the station. She sits down behind the counter and pulls her backpack off her shoulders. She searches for a rag and one of the first aid boxes in her back all the while feeling the blood trickle down her shirt, soaking it. She finds the rag and first aid box and sits them out in front of her, opening it. She wipes the blood off her hand and pulls the t-shirt off over her head. Anyone could walk in on her at any moment but she was in too much pain to care. She was going to need it stitched up but she had no idea how to do that but she could manage to get the wound cleaned up and bandaged. She knew her way around typical first aid, especially after being around Andrew for so long.

She unzips her Vault suit and hisses at the cold air as she pushes the sleeves off of her arms and pushing the suit down more to her waist. She's left sitting there in her bra and looks down at the gash in her skin lifting her arm out of the way. The blood had started to slow now but the gash was nasty, about 2 inches long. She presses the rag hard against the wound and groans into her teeth at the hot pain. How could she have let this happen? Not day 1 out of the Vault and she's already hurt.

Holding the rag in place with pressure from her elbow, she unscrews a bottle of rubbing alcohol that had probably expired long ago but a whiff of the liquid was still strong as ever and burned at her nostrils. She gets the gauze and bandages ready in front of her and removes the rag from her side, slowly. It's soaked with blood but it's the only one she has. Moving the rag to the bottom of the wound and holding it there, she steadies the bottle of rubbing alcohol at the top of the wound. Before going to pour it over, she has to prepare herself _“Oh god, this is going to hurt!”_ A few sharp deep breaths and she pours the liquid down her side over the gash. Hissing and groaning, the hot, searing sting that makes more tears in her eyes. The rag has soaked up the alcohol that has dripped down her side and she removes it and rubs at it, cleaning it more. The tears slowly trickle down her cheeks but she can't be bothered to wipe them away.

The bleeding has stopped and she applies one layer of gauze and a sticky bandage to cover the wound. After it's all done and over with, she's still in pain but feels better. Her Vault suit is soaked in blood though. She completely removes her shoes and jeans, then her Vault suit. Hissing even more at the cold night air that has started to settle in, she shoves her suit out of the way and pulls a pair of long johns out of her pack and shoves them on, then back into her jeans. She also slips on a new t-shirt and a sweater before standing up. The dog has been at her side the entire time and she gives him a weak smile and a fluff of his fur on his neck. Gathering her things and slipping on the jacket she had taken from the dead body, she slips the backpack over her shoulders again and leans down to pick up her Vault suit.

She walks back outside, slightly lightheaded and spots a water pump. She walks over to it and washes out the blood on her Vault suit and the t-shirt she had been wearing. Wringing them out dry and stuffing them in her pack, she stands there huffing in deep breaths. She looks down at the dog then back at her Pip-Boy. It was starting to get late and the sun had begun to set.

 

“Ready to head out, boy? Let's find a place to sleep” the dog gives her a light woof and she starts back on the road again. She can see the homes of Concord in the distance and the first one she spots has a door. Hopefully she could stay there for the night. As she starts to pick up her pace, she comes to a large mass of a body laying on the ground. It's stomach had been ripped open and there was some other kind of bug with long sprawled out legs, spider-like, to it's sides and a fat pouch of blood in it's belly and a long needle like nose. _The mosquitoes Codsworth had mentioned …_

 

“Psst! Think you can take em down, boy?” she nods to the bug in front of her and the dog gives her a confident bark. The dog is running fast and pounces on the giant bug before it even notices he's there. Once she's sure it's dead, she starts for the house again. Coming in close to the creature the bug had been sucking blood from, she notices the 2 heads. They looked like cows but like the rats they were hairless. _“Two-headed cows, what else could there be?”_

 

It's gotten pretty dark when she opens the door of the house and walks up the stairs. She has the dog check around for more enemies when he gives her the all clear with a bark. There's a flat, grimey and hard mattress on the floor upstairs and a dresser. Sitting her pack on the floor, she rummages through the dresser and finds more clothes and a hair brush. Practically brand new, she sits down and pulls the pony tail out of her hair and brushes her hair out. The bristles feel nice on her scalp and her hair is silky smooth when she's done, it was going to get dirty though. She'd kill for a bath right now.

After laying her damp suit and shirt out to dry, she pulls the snack cakes and a can of dog food out she had found downstairs. She feeds the pup first and then eats the two boxes she found at the Red Rocket station. They're sweet and soft as she chews while watching the pup eat. At least she had him. If it weren't for the dog she'd have probably died back there. Unclasping the Pip-Boy from her wrist, she sits it by the mattress and turns the radio on the lowest volume. She slides over and pulls out her sleeping bag and plants it on top of the mattress and crawls into, careful of her fresh wound, to get warm. Her extra clothes keep her pretty comfy, but she always feels a chill. The dog lays beside her, generating more warmth and she's grateful to have him.

 

“Watch out for baddies while I sleep ok, boy?” she tells him, patting him goodnight.

 

As she lay there listening to the radio, willing herself to sleep, she wonders how on Earth anyone lives in this world and wonders if she'd make it to the sunrise in the morning.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DANG! It's been a while. Sorry guys, but over time at work makes me super tired and leaves me with no motivation. Hope this one is good though, been working on it for a while. Don't worry, others and MacCready are coming in the next couple of chapters as she makes her way to Diamond City and Goodneighbor. Let me know what you guys think! Enojy!


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